Terrible Things
by ZahlzStar
Summary: Carmilla had thought about her future with Laura many times during their relationship, but one thing she didn't count on was being left to live with another Hollis altogether. Or, the one where Laura dies and Carmilla is left to raise their child. Originally written for the Carmilla Big Bang on Tumblr but I figured I'd post it here too.


There's a dog on my lawn, and I'm not talking about Lawrence's kid either; this one is a legitimate, four legged fleabag. A rather rude one at that, up until a moment ago I was peacefully minding my own business out here until the creature wandered over.

The dog watches me with a curious gaze and sits down a few feet away. I sigh and push off the tree before glaring at the dog and grumbling, "Beat it, mutt,". The stupid thing just continues to stare at me and I think I feel my eye twitch just a little. With thinning patience my fangs slide out along with a growl. The dog whimpers before hightailing it off my lawn, and a satisfied grin stretches across my face as I return to my original position beneath the tree.

Not long after, I see movement and watch as a beat up converse pokes out of the upstairs window, soon followed by the other and a pair of legs far too long to belong to the offspring of Laura Hollis. Without even a glance to check for any imminent danger the rest of Lennon slides out of the window and moves, rather loudly, towards the edge of the roof. I have to suppress a laugh as I watch Lennon's poor attempt at lowering himself down over the coping of the roof. He's about halfway down the length of the wall when his foot slips and he ends up falling the short distance to the ground.

Lennon lets out a groan, still splayed out on his back as I push off the tree, moving silently towards the awkward bundle of limbs and pain-in-the-ass that I'm technically responsible for.

"You really are a Hollis aren't you, bud?"

"Holy Crapsticks," Lennon yelps as he scrambles to get up, and after a moment he is towering a solid foot over me with a sheepish look on his face.

"Oh, hey Carm, what's up?"

"Just watching you make an ass of yourself, the usual," I reply with a shrug and Lennon sighs.

"How did you know I was going to sneak out?" Lennon asks in a defeated voice.

"I'm a vampire, dipshit. Do you really think I didn't hear you talking about it on the phone earlier, hell, even without vampiric hearing I could have heard that conversation. You talk loud enough to wake the dead, which really isn't a good idea unless you are on a first name basis with them," my tone is dripping with sarcasm as I look up at the dopey teenager in front of me.

"I'm guessing I'm not gonna be going anywhere tonight?" Lennon asks and reaches up to rub the back of his neck.

"Oh no, you can go if you'd like. I'm not going to stop you," To further emphasise my point I step to the side and gesture for him to go ahead.

"Wait, really?" Lennon's tone is incredulous and I can't stop my eyes from rolling of their own accord.

"I'm immortal, not some Suburban Mom. You can do whatever you'd like, and I'd like to think that you are old enough to make at least _some_ responsible decisions,"

"You're the best," A smile breaks out on Lennon's face and it looks like he is going to hug me but stops when I raise my hand in front of me.

"But, you can also tell Zeta Society's spawn,"

"Her name is Spencer, Carm," Lennon cuts in but I continue.

"That if you guys get arrested for doing something stupid, I'm calling her mother this time instead of her overgrown toddler of a father,"

Lennon's face pales at the thought, "Please don't, Aunt Dan Dan will skin us and wear our hydes to the next Summer Society reunion if that happens,"

My lips quirk slightly at the mention of the nickname that has somehow stuck over the years.

"Don't get arrested and I won't have to, Numbnuts,"

Lennon nods profusely and bounds off in the direction of the Lawrence residence and I head inside to grab my phone and jacket before heading out to make sure the next generation of the Scooby Gang don't get into too much trouble.

I shouldn't really be surprised when I follow them to the local club, which is really just a bar with a few fancy features thrown in. Before I head in I fish my phone from my pocket and send Will a text.

 **Broody Fangs: You playing tonight, loser?** The reply comes in about a minute or so later.

 **Lord Jerkface: Yeah, are you thinking of gracing us with your presence?**

 **Broody Fangs: Hollis Jr. and Teen Wolf snuck out to get white girl wasted, guess which divebar they just walked into.**

 **Lord Jerkface: They better not let Mama Wolf catch em. Anyway, I'll be by the stage if you wanna come say Hi.**

There's not much else to be said so I tuck my phone away and breeze into the place, giving the bouncer a slight nod as I pass.

The poor lighting inside the building was not intentional but it adds to the atmosphere of the bar; the instant I walk in I'm attacked by the scent of sweat and desperation. To be honest it's exactly like high school, at least in the brief times I've had to fulfil my duties as Lennon's legal guardian and take a trip to the principal's office. To be fair, I haven't had to do that in a while, and at the very least the first high school visit was an interesting one.

If I remember correctly it was about two weeks into the school year and about two weeks into the torment that some lackwit 12th Grader had been subjecting Lennon to. The only reason I hadn't stepped in and threatened to rip the walking blood bag's head off with my teeth, was the very persistent urging from Lennon to just let him deal with things on his own. Something about needing to learn to deal with bullies in a natural, non vampire guardian type of way.

I still can't wrap my mind around why he didn't just kick the kid's ass himself, God knows Cupcake made it clear she wanted to put Lennon into Krav Maga at the earliest age possible. I guess it wasn't all that bad of an idea, the boy was always small growing up. Even as an 8th Grader Lennon was about as small as Laura was, it was around the end of Grade 9 that he shot up to the gargantuan size he is now. How that happened still baffles me to no end.

Despite his Krav Maga skills Lennon was adamant on fixing his bullying issue peacefully. Once Spencer found out about it though, it was slightly more difficult to take the peaceful approach. From what Lennon told me about the incident, Spencer had walked up to find Lennon on the receiving end of the neanderthal anger. He had decided it was a great idea to shove Lennon's face into a locker, and upon seeing this, Spencer, a werewolf just starting to come into her more animalistic side as Lawrence had explained a few times before, promptly decked the idiot in the face. I'm not gonna lie, I definitely liked the kid a little more upon hearing this. There's no doubt in my mind that Spencer could have taken the kid out with one hand tied behind her back, but when he tried to take a swing at her Lennon stepped in. Tiny, little, 5'2" Lennon finally decided that there wasn't a peaceful alternative and proceeded to take the jock down in what I imagine was about 5 seconds flat.

As one would expect Danny was furious that there wasn't any punishment for the bully in question while Lennon and Spencer were both suspended for the next two weeks. Kirsch didn't seem to mind though, he was too busy dealing out high fives for kicking the bully's ass. For whatever reason he even tried to give me one, though the notion died quickly when I simply raised a brow at him. While Lennon didn't have a problem with anyone picking on him after that, he was still dragged into quite a few altercations that occurred when the adolescent dimwits at school managed to make it on the wrong side of a young werewolf's temper. More times than not, Spencer and Lennon managed to make it out unscathed and ended up with more suspensions, which at this point would probably be expulsion if the principal wasn't scared to death at the thought of angering Danny, and me.

A familiar scent pulls me out of the memory and I notice a head of red hair trying to charm drinks out of the bartender. Lennon was seated not too far away and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, he's not facing my way and I move close enough to the bar to catch the bartender's attention. The bartender looks over to me and I flick my eyes towards Spencer and Lennon before giving a small shake of my head. She nods in understanding and retrieves two cans of soda from behind the bar before sliding them in front of Lennon and Spencer. The latter cusses in annoyance while the former looks relieved that they hadn't been kicked out instead.

Satisfied with my one responsible deed I turn back towards the stage and saunter over to Will when I spot him talking to some girls. I approach from behind and pretend to have not seen the girls, "Yo Will, I picked up some of that ointment you asked for but the doctor said he wanted you to come in instead to talk about your little situation," I gesture down at his crotch and the girls give one another a disgusted look before excusing themselves.

"Not cool, Kitty," Will grumbles as the girls disappear from view.

"I do what I can," I respond happily and Will simply rolls his eyes at me.

"It's a pretty big turn out tonight, did you wanna come up with me and sing for a bit?" Will asks when he notice me looking towards the stage.

"I guess it has been a while, you still remember 24 Floors?"

Will flashes me a grin and a nod.

"I'll start my set to warm em up, then I'll bring you up. Sound cool?"

"Try not to put them to sleep before I get up there, Willy Boy," I respond and Will laughs before jumping up onto the stage and picking up his guitar.

I lean up against the side of the stage and watch as Will tells the band of the song being added and a few seconds later the intro to Something's Gotta Give begins to play. Will saunters up to the microphone and begins plucking along on his guitar, the smile on his face is contagious and his excitement electric as the crowd perks up upon recognizing the song. As he begins to sing Will stops plucking and grabs the mic stand.

 _ **I woke up in a stranger's bed,**_

 _ **With pins and needles in my head**_

 _ **And the clock ticking off the wall**_

 _ **Oh, yeah, oh, yeah**_

 _ **I don't even know myself**_

 _ **I wish I could be someone else**_

 _ **But I don't have a clue at all**_

 _ **Oh, yeah**_

 _ **I'm sinking**_

 _ **You're wading**_

 _ **I'm thinking something's gotta give**_

As the chorus approaches Will grabs his guitar again and as he sings the lyrics he starts to play along once again.

 _ **Oh**_

 _ **Wake me up**_

 _ **Say enough is enough**_

 _ **I'm dying to live**_

 _ **Something's gotta give**_

 _ **Oh**_

 _ **Pull me out of this sinking town**_

 _ **I'm dying to live**_

 _ **Something's gotta give**_

Will continues to smile as he plays, bouncing around and basking in the affection of the audience. As the song draws to a close, a now breathless Will addresses the cheering crowd.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" Will speaks and receives another round of appreciation for the audience.

"Alright, we've got a special guest in the house tonight, and if you guys don't mind, we'll slow this down a bit and she's gonna come up here to sing for us. Now, I know a few of you guys have been following the band for awhile and you may remember her, but for those who don't, I'd like to introduce, Carmilla Karnstein,"

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that there is quite a bit of applause as I jump onto the stage and head towards the mic.

"It's been awhile since I've been up here, so I apologize if I've gotten a little rusty. This song goes out to a very special girl that unfortunately couldn't be here tonight. This one's for you, Cupcake,"

Being back up on stage is a rush and if I close my eyes I can almost picture Laura standing by the stage with a tiny toddler on her shoulders. The thought brings a smile to my face and I take a breath as Will comes up beside me. As I begin to sing he starts playing.

 _ **24 floors**_

 _ **Up in some hotel room**_

 _ **Feeling solo**_

 _ **Thinking of jumping soon**_

 _ **I look up and see the stars**_

 _ **Look down at speeding cars**_

 _ **Think of my family**_

 _ **How they'll remember me**_

The chorus gets closer and I close my eyes, taking me back to my memory of Laura and Lennon watching me perform, smiling and singing along.

 _ **Eyes closed, I see your face**_

 _ **Breathe deep and hesitate**_

 _ **I hear the words you'd say**_

 _ **If you were here with me**_

When I reach the chorus I soften my voice and sing the words, she's still smiling and swaying slightly with the crowd.

 _ **You'd say,**_

 _ **"You don't wanna die tonight**_

 _ **Take one more breath to clear your mind**_

 _ **Every moment's relevant**_

 _ **Bittersweet and delicate**_

 _ **Tomorrow may not come again"**_

The rest of the song passes by in a blur as I continue to sing for her and it's not until I reach the final note that I open my eyes and try not to crumble as I see Lennon standing by the bar. Lennon, but no Laura; not anymore.

The crowd breaks out of their almost stunned silence and begins to applaud, Will smiles over at me but notices that I'm nowhere near as happy as he is.

"You okay, Sis?"

"Yeah, it just takes me back," I give Will a shaky smile and he wraps an arm around me in a side hug.

"He really does look like Laura, doesn't he?" Will murmurs after looking at Lennon for a moment.

"He's just as stubborn as Laura was too," I respond and Will gives me a light squeeze.

"You did good, Kitty. You know she'd be proud of you,"

Rather than responding I just lean into his embrace for another second or two before pushing away and clearing my throat.

"Okay, that's enough soppy shit from you, Freshmeat. I need to go wrangle those two before Little Red gets them both kicked out,"

Will chuckles but lets me go on my way as I head over towards the bar to apprehend the two nuisances.

"Have you two had enough of your grownup adventures for the night?" I ask, having now reached the bar.

"This punk won't give me anything stronger than soda," Spencer grumbles and shoots a glare towards the bartender. With her back still turned the bartender responds,

"This punk also knows your mom from way back, maybe we'll give her a call and see if she wants some soda too?"

Spencer pales at the thought and gets up in a hurry, "You know what, I'm really tired all of a sudden. Like super tired, Len, I think we should go now,"

The bartender laughs quietly and turns to face me, "Have fun with these two, Karnstein."

The two teenagers follow me on my way out of the bar and after around ten minutes of nothing but a peaceful silence and occasional scuffing of sneakers against the pavement Spencer starts down the street to head home and the two say their goodbyes.

"Night, Carmilla,"

"Night, Little Wolf,"

Our own goodbye is tossed out far quicker as she walks away and Lennon soon walks up beside me.

"You sounded awesome up there tonight, Carm,"

"Thanks, kid," I respond with a small smile.

"You haven't sung like that since Mom," Lennon continues and my smile turns bittersweet.

"No, I guess I haven't,"

Lennon is quiet again for a moment before he turns to me once more, "Can we go and visit her?"

Lennon is looking down at the ground and his voice is soft but he must feel my gaze on him because his eyes flick up again to meet mine and it hits hard as I catch a glimpse of Laura within him.

"Yeah, I think we can," A sad smile crosses his face but he nods and everything is quiet once again as we make our way towards the cemetery.

 _Another thud sounds from upstairs and I snap my book closed, all hope for finishing the chapter gone._

 _I can hear Lennon laughing from here so at least I know they aren't killing each other, still it is probably worth investigating. God knows I wouldn't hear the end of it from Lawrence if her pup got hurt on my watch._

 _If I had a little more enthusiasm or desire to exert myself I could have been at Lennon's door in a second flat but in my current state of disinterest it takes a minute or two to get upstairs._

 _"Okay, what are you little monsters getting into now?"_

 _Any further words that may have come out have disappeared as I take in the sight in front of me._

 _In the midst of the chaotic bedroom of Lennon Hollis, is the boy in question riding around on the back of an oversized wolf pup._

 _"Look Carm, Spencer shifted,"_

 _"I can see that,"_

 _The wolf pup looks at me with a lazy grin and begins to bound around the room again, Lennon wisely digs his fingers into Spencer's light brown fur and holds on tight._

 _I'm at a loss for words so I just shake my head and pull out my phone, scrolling through the contact book until I come to 'Xena'._

 _It takes all of two rings for her to pick up_

 _"What do you want, Fangface?"_

 _"The kid is riding a wolf pup around his room, and I'd just like to tell you that you are taking care of the cleanup. It's bad enough that I have to deal with two breathing fleabags, I'm not dealing with the fur as well,"_

 _"What?! She's only 9 years old, she shouldn't be able to shift yet!"_

 _I roll my eyes and put the phone on speaker, "Say hello to Momma Wolf, furball,"_

 _The wolf pup lets out a happy yip and I hear a quiet curse filter through the phone, "I'm on my way."_

 _"I suppose it'll only take about three bounds,"_

 _The only response I receive is the quiet beeping of the phone call ending and I chuckle to myself. I'm about to put my phone away before I think about it and snap a few picture of the two little idiots infront of me. It's been awhile since I changed my phone background._

As we get closer to the cemetery Lennon builds up the nervous energy that his mother had without a doubt passed onto him.

"Come on, Carm. For a vampire, you sure are pretty slow," Lennon calls out from a few feet ahead of me, the idiot is walking backwards in order to try and taunt me.

"For a frail bag of bones, you sure are pretty patronizing," I respond dryly but the boy just waves it off and continues to walk backwards.

"I would say 'bite me' but-" Lennon's sentence is cut off as his foot slips into a hidden hole on the ground and all 6'2 of human is sent flailing backwards.

"Son of a Hollis," I mutter to myself before walking over to the still sprawled teenager.

"Well done, Bambi," I remark and reach down to pull Lennon up. Any further comments die on my tongue when I see Lennon wince suddenly after trying to put weight on his right ankle.

"Great, now Curly Sue is going to think I'm neglecting you,"

Lennon at least has the decency to look sheepish and I give him an unamused look before sighing and turning my back to him. Lennon takes the hint and hobbles as best he can to jump up onto my back. Once he is seated on my back I reposition him effortlessly and continue down the path. Lennon has his arms wrapped loosely around my neck with his head resting lightly on my shoulder.

"Thanks Carm," Lennon murmurs after a moment and I simply 'mmhhmm' in response, checking every now and then if anyone else was around. It would probably be a rather odd sight to see a giant boy getting carried as though he were no heavier than a toddler by someone a foot shorter.

The path I'm following is well worn from the many visits over the last decade and the familiar headstone soon comes into view.

 _ **Laura Hollis**_

 _ **1995-2024**_

" _ **Sometimes the smallest things, make the biggest difference."**_

I gently lower Lennon to the ground and he hobbles, favouring his ankle, towards the grave.

"You wanna go first, kid?" I ask and he simply nods his head.

"Hey Momma," I hear Lennon say quietly as I turn and walk a little further down the path.

 _Uggh, youths. The whole place reeks of them, but for whatever reason I let Will convince me into coming. Something about his best bro graduating from high school that required his presence, and apparently mine as well._

 _Why William feels the need to hang around with teenagers is beyond me and I can't imagine ever subjecting myself to that again. We tried the whole Twilight Esque, mysterious siblings go to high school to have everyone marvel over them, thing. It was not something I'd really like to repeat, I'd rather leave that to the Cullen twerp. And yet, against my better judgement I was now standing in a room sweltering with drunk adolescents and enough pheromones to clog the air._

 _I'm starting to entertain the thought of finding a semi appealing cheerleader to spirit away if only to keep myself occupied for a little while until I can find Will and knock some sense into him for even considering the idea that I would enjoy this whole ordeal. My eyes begin to scan over the crowded room until I spot a gathering of people that looked slightly out of the ordinary. I make my way over to where a small circle had formed._

" _Honestly, how hard is it to respect that no means no?" Much to my surprise in the centre of the circle a small girl stands over a fallen jock, nursing a bloody nose, which to be honest I probably should have picked up on earlier with the amount gushing from his face. Damn teenager hormones._

" _I mean really, it's common sense. Even dogs can be taught to understand the word," the small girl appears to be lecturing the lackwit on the ground and I'd be lying if I said that the entire scene wasn't amusing me greatly._

" _You broke my nose, you bitch," comes a nasally shout and the girl stops mid rant to glare down at Muscle Mouth._

 _The icy glare doesn't seem to faze him as the guy reaches up to try and grab the girl, before he can do much of anything though, the tiny ball of rage in front of me nails him with a well placed kick to the ribs._

" _That is such a terrible way to talk to someone,"_

 _The girl goes in for another kick but I take a step forward and grab her lightly by the shoulders, maneuvering her just enough to shift her centre of gravity and cause her to turn back in surprise._

" _As much as I'm enjoying the bunched up face you make when you're angry, cupcake, perhaps you should take a walk. Einstein over here looks like he has more muscle than IQ points so I don't think beating him to a pulp is really going to accomplish much,"_

" _But he's being a such a sexist, bad person," the girl protests and we both look down at the guy now rolling on the ground and clutching his side._

" _I'm sure he is, but if you want to beat up every asshole that thinks he is God's gift to women, I hate to break it to you but that is a very large battle for another day,"_

" _Fine, but do you mind letting me go? That entire situation started because he touched me without my permission,"_

 _It hadn't occurred to me that I was still holding onto the girl but without a second thought I release her and she turns towards me, quite possibly looking me over for the first time. There's still a fierce expression on her face but there is also a hint of interest and so I dial up the trademark seduction eyes and gesture behind me, past the already dispersing crowd._

" _Would you perhaps be interested in finding somewhere that has a little less horny teenager and you can fill me in on how you managed to find yourself with Goliath over there?"_

 _The girl smiles at me and there's something about the glow that lights her face and seems to emanate from her very being that draws me in, and leaves me with the feeling that this girl is very different from the type I was expecting to encounter._

" _I'm Laura, by the way,"_

" _Carmilla, it's a pleasure to meet you, sweetheart,"_

"Hey L, so I'm sure he already told you, but that boy of yours never ceases to amaze me with his affinity for bodily harm. God, I swear he couldn't be anymore like you if he tried,"

I take a quick glance around in search of the boy in question but come up empty.

"I told him that there was a gravestone with one of my old identities around here somewhere, I'm sure he knows that I'm from Styria but he's searching anyway. That boy is entirely too trusting,"

A small smile forms on my face but it fades again after a moment.

"God, I miss you, L. Three and a half centuries on this Earth and you are the only one that ever made me feel this way. The only one I ever wished I could save. You and no one else,"

There's a slight shuffling heading towards me and I turn to see Lennon doing a strange combination of hopping and flailing but he's moving with significant speed regardless.

"I broke a headstone,"

"I'm sorry, you did what?"

"I was trying to walk and I lost my balance so I grabbed the first thing I saw, it turns out it was not at all as solid as it looks. We should probably go, I think the groundskeeper saw me."

At a loss for words I simply turned to look at Laura's grave before looking back at the increasingly anxious boy.

"Alright, it seems like the boy wonder of yours is at it again, L,"

I stand up and brush the dirt from my pants before presenting my back to Lennon once again.

 _"I can't do this, L," I mutter as I sit in the dark living room that just seems so empty now._

 _Every now and then the room lights up for a brief moment as the lightning strikes somewhere nearby._

 _"You were supposed to be the one to do all of this Super Mom crap,"_

 _The alcohol I'd been downing had become nothing but a dull burn at this point and it was doing shit all to keep this ache in my chest away._

 _"He still asks about you, you know? 'When's Momma coming home? Is she gonna tell me a bedtime story tonight? Did I do something bad, is that why Momma left?' Christ, Laura, I can't deal with this shit on my own. I barely kept myself alive over the centuries, how the fuck am I supposed to raise a kid?"_

 _"He'd be better off if you had just left him with Laf and Perry, hell, Danny and Kirsch have been doing a better job with their kid than I ever could."_

 _I down the rest of the liquid in my glass and push the cup away from me in favour of laying my head down on the table before I give into the impulse to throw it at the wall._

 _After a moment I register a light tugging on my shirt, for a second I shrug it off but a small voice soon speaks, "Carm?"_

 _It takes a little bit of effort but I raise my head and fix my gaze to the small boy clutching the corner of my shirt._

 _"What's up, bud?"_

 _"The storm woke me up," Lennon rubs at an eye with one hand, his other still firmly attached to my shirt._

 _"You wanna sit out here with me for a while?" I ask but Lennon shakes his head._

 _"Can you tell me a story?"_

 _I almost fall off my chair and I turn to gape at the small boy._

 _"You want me to tell you a story? Are you sure?"_

 _Lennon just nods at me and shrugs a little, "I don't think Momma is gonna tell me stories anymore, but she told me you know some really cool stories."_

 _"Cool stories? What did she tell you about my stories?"_

 _I turn my body towards Lennon and he finally let's go of my shirt in favour of holding his arms up so I can scoop him up onto my lap._

 _"She told me that all of your stories are true, and that you and Uncle Will are vampires, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone else that cause it's supposed to be a secret, and that you wanted to tell me when I was older," The words seem to tumble out of Lennon and I exhale a laugh._

 _"Of course she did,"_

 _"What else did Momma tell you, bud?"_

 _"That Aunt Dan Dan is a werewolf, and Spencer might be too, but Uncle Kirsch is just a giant puppy," Lennon explains and I chuckle._

 _"Hey Carm?" Lennon pipes up once again, and I make a humming sound to get him to continue._

 _"You aren't going to leave me like Momma did, are you?"_

 _I look down at the little boy in my lap and my heart swells._

 _"Nah, bud. Your momma couldn't get rid of me, you won't either. I'm with you until the end,"_

 _I try not to dwell on what the end will be, for the moment I just try to focus on Lennon, the last little bit of light I've got now that I don't have Laura._

"I feel like maybe it's a brownie night, I'm pretty sure it was cookies last time,"

"A solid dose of coordination would be nice, it would certainly limit these late night visits,"

Lennon leans over my shoulder to knock on the door again and we only have to wait a few minutes before the porch light turns on and the door opens.

"Really? It's two in the morning," Lafontaine grumbles as they usher us in, knowing fully well that we are the only ones that would be bothering them at 2AM.

"Oh, I am very aware of the time. Unfortunately this one decided it would be a good idea to walk backwards through a cemetery," I respond and give the boy on my back a little shake for emphasis.

"Walking backwards through a cemetery at 2AM, right, cool. Totally not surprised actually," Laf remarks and already has their first aid kit in hand.

"We wanted to go and see Mom," Lennon shrugs after I plop him down on the couch and take a seat on the recliner next to it, propping my boots up on the coffee table.

"Lennon Hollis, what have you done to yourself now?" A shrill voice sounds and Lennon ducks his head when Perry walks in, still clad in her flannel pyjamas.

"You've awakened her," I say with a smirk and Lennon shoots me a look but turns to answer Perry.

"I fell in a hole," Lennon mumbles and Perry shakes her head at him.

"I'll go make some brownies," Perry dismisses before turning on her heel and heading for the kitchen. Lennon gives me a look that says, 'I called it' and I roll my eyes at him.

"Carmilla, get your feet off my coffee table," Perry calls out without turning around and Lennon and Laf both snicker at me as I grudgingly lower my boots to the ground again.

" _Little Nerd, you made it."_

 _I let out a groan when a giant catches sight and scoops Laura up into a hug._

" _Hi Kirsch, it's been a while," Laura responds after he sets her down again._

" _You must be the broody babe Little Nerd was talking about, Camille or Carmella or something, right?"_

 _I let out another groan, with time with a little more 'kill me' before I cop an elbow to the ribs._

" _Don't hurt yourself there, beefcake. The name is Carmilla,"_

" _Oh nice, I'm Kirsch. I've been bros with this one since 10th Grade English, that Beobab stuff was hard,"_

" _I'm amazed you made it, truly,"_

 _This time instead of a jab I just receive a glare from the munchkin beside me so I sigh before making an effort again, "So, where is the rest of your Scooby Gang, Cupcake?"_

 _Laura smiles in triumph before standing up on her tiptoes and scanning the room. I can't imagine the extra bit of height would improve the view her small stature provides, but after a second she lets out a noise and points the the other side of the room, "Found them,"_

 _I peer around the giant frat boy to search for this friend of hers, nothing can stop the groan though when I catch sight of a herd of gingers, led by another giant, making their way over to us._

" _Be nice," Laura warns before turning to embrace the new arrivals._

" _D-Bear," Kirsch announces and the tall girl moves to wrap an arm around his waist, pinching his side._

" _Ouch, save the claws for the bedroom,"_

" _How many times do I need to tell you not to call me that, Wilson?"_

 _The boy pouts, whether it's at the name or the small assault, I haven't the slightest. A moment later he lights up again and turns his attention back to me._

" _This is the new girlfriend that we heard about,"_

" _Oh, yeah. Carmilla, right? I'm Danny,"_

 _As the girl reaches out a hand I catch a scent that brings a small smirk to my face._

" _Isn't the moon looking inviting tonight?" I ask after grasping her hand to shake it._

 _Danny's hand tenses and her eyes narrow, her nose twitches slightly as she catches my scent as well. Laura clears her throat and we both pull our hands back before turning towards her again. Laura leans into me and I wrap an arm lightly around her waist, subtly breathing in her scent before she turns us to face the other two gingers._

" _Carm, this is Lafontaine and their girlfriend, Perry," Laura introduces the two of them and as she does an alarm tone sounds from Perry's pocket._

" _Oh, the brownies must be almost ready. Laura, dear, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?"_

" _Oh yeah, definitely," Laura seems happy to oblige, and she gives me a light kiss on the cheek before starting off into the crowd._

" _Oh, it was lovely to meet you, Carmilla," Perry calls over her shoulder before leaving as well, Lafontaine gives me a goofy grin before following after the two of them. I shake my head slightly before turning back to the two towers that are bickering nearby._

" _So, Big Red, does Laura know about your wolfy habits?"_

" _Does Laura know about your vampiric tendencies, Wednesday?"_

 _My lip quirks up and I regard the wolf, "Yes, she tried cooking for me on one of our dates and sliced a finger open. Obviously I managed to control myself, but my fangs did make an appearance. Not the best way to break the news, but I didn't have much choice in the matter,"_

 _Danny shakes her head at the mention of Laura hurting herself but responds, "I suppose not, and to answer your question, she knows. It was how we met actually, I started to turn at a party once and she found me holed up in the bathroom sporting teeth, claws, and glowing eyes. I didn't really have much choice in the matter either, I'm sure you've experienced Laura's curiosity by now."_

" _Oh yes, her first question for me after I told her was, 'Can I touch your fangs?'"_

" _What are we talking about?" Laura asks after popping up seemingly out of nowhere._

" _You," Danny and I reply simultaneously causing Laura to pout, highlighting the smear of chocolate on the side of her mouth._

" _I'll be fine, Carm. It's just a cold, you know I always get sick around this time of year," Laura tries to reassure me through her stuffy nose, and reaches for her prescription meds._

" _I'll be back in twenty minutes at the most,"_

" _Take Len with you, he's been wanting to go out all day," Laura says and disappears for a moment before reappearing, holding Lennon by the hand._

" _You coming to the store, bud?" I ask and Lennon lights up before running over with his arms up._

" _Twenty minutes, L," I repeat as I scoop up Lennon into my arms and head for the door._

 _True to my word I'm back in twenty minutes, stocked up on tissues, hot chocolate and cookies. Lennon also managed to con me into buying him a giant stuffed giraffe as well but it's probably best that I don't tell Laura about the price of that one._

" _Miss Karnstein?"_

 _My head snaps up to attention at the mention of my name and I'm left looking at the weary face of the doctor._

" _Yes, how is she? How's Laura?"_

" _I'm afraid that Miss Hollis' condition is far worse than we had feared, we were able to stop the bleeding but she has suffered extreme trauma to many of her organs,"_

 _My jaw clenches and I curse the frailness that is the human body before asking, "Is she going to be okay?"_

" _Look, I'll be honest with you, the likelihood of finding enough donor organs is slim. We can wait it out and hope for a miracle but it's not looking good. I think it would be best for you to contact any other family members and friends, anyone that Miss Hollis is close to,"_

 _I swallow the hard lump working its way into my throat and nod my head quickly. The doctor gives me a sorrowful look before walking away. I take my phone out of my pocket and scroll until I find the number I'm searching for._

" _Laf, it's bad. It's really fucking bad,"_

"Honestly, kid, Perry is going to stop letting Laf patch you up if you keep hurting yourself all the time,"

"You and I both know she won't, she worries too much for that," Lennon responds, reaching into his pocket to find the house keys and open the door.

"Okay, I'll give you that one, but at the very least stop injuring yourself at 2AM. Perry is bad enough when she's had enough sleep,"

"Okay, Carm, I'll try to keep my injuries to the daylight hours, I know how you need your beauty sleep. Though for a vampire, you don't seem to be all that nocturnal," Lennon replies drily and in response as I walk up the stairs I turn my body just enough to knock him into the banister. The boy lets out a light 'oof' but doesn't say anything else.

Once I'm up the stairs I walk to Lennon's room and nudge the door open with my foot before reaching the bed and turning to drop Lennon onto the mattress. Lennon crawls up his bed before plopping back down with his face buried in his pillow.

"Thanks Carm,"

"Yeah, yeah, go to sleep, knucklehead,"

I'm almost out the door before Lennon speaks again, "Hey Carm, until the end right?"

"Yeah, bud. I'm with you until the end,"

" _Hey Carm,"_

" _Mmmm,"_

" _Carm, wake up,"_

" _No,"_

 _Laura lets out a laugh before trying a different tactic and begins to ghost kisses across my bare shoulder and up towards my neck._

" _Mmmm, Laura. You know what day it is, this is a terrible idea," While I protest I turn over onto my back and tug at Laura's hips until she is straddling mine._

" _Lennon's birthday, but I haven't heard a sound from him yet so I think we may be in luck,"_

" _Yes, Lennon. Also known as the Hollis Sex Detector, that boy has a gift for cockblocking us and you know it,"_

" _We'll see about that,"_

 _Laura gives me a cheeky smile before raising my shirt further up my stomach and trailing kisses down. A moment later she disappears beneath the blanket and I feel a tugging at my pants._

 _With a resigned sigh I raise my hips to help her pull the clothing down before she goes to work. My eyes close at the sensations from her tongue and my fingers thread through her her hair, scratching lightly at her scalp and spurring her on. When Laura slips two fingers into the wet heat between my thighs I can't help the moan that sounds. Laura sets a torturous pace with her fingers and tongue, pushing me closer and closer to becoming a writhing mess._

 _With a particularly skillful flick of her tongue I squirm again and moan, "Laura."_

 _She hums against me and sends another wave of pleasure through me. The high I'm craving is almost within reach when I hear a sound that shatters my hopes, the door swings open and I repeat myself with a whole other meaning, "Laura."_

" _Carm, what's Momma doing?"_

 _Laura stiffens beneath the covers and my mouth opens and closes a few times but I draw a blank on how to talk my way out of this. Laura tugs my pants back up quickly and appears again, wiping her mouth with one hand and clutching her magnifying glass pendant with the other. I look at the necklace in confusion but Laura paints a wide smile on her face and looks towards her son._

" _I was just looking for one of your birthday presents, Len,"_

" _Really, can I open my presents now?"_

" _Sure you can, bud," I reply with a voice that is still a little higher than usual._

 _Laura reaches out to give Lennon her pendant and he looks at it in awe before happily pulling the chain over his head. While Lennon is occupied Laura leans closer to me, "Sex Detector strikes again, huh?"_

 _I flop back down into my pillow in frustration and let out a groan, "I hate you."_

" _Carmilla dear, please be careful with the children," Perry calls and I give her a noncommittal growl before bounding across the open field after the two children and overgrown toddler. Funnily enough, Lennon and Spencer seem to be better at running away than Kirsch is. While they wisely watch my movements from a distance Kirsch seems to think if he stands his ground he'll be able to take on a giant black cat. I sit back on my haunches for a moment, tail flicking slightly behind me and survey the situation in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a large russet wolf creeping up behind the little terrors so I turn my attention back to the lumbering oaf and let Danny handle the children._

" _Come on, furball. Give me your best shot," Kirsch taunts and that's all it takes, with a practiced ease I launch myself at the human, stopping just short to balance on my hind legs and throw my paws up onto his shoulders. Kirsch topples over and lands on his back, his breath audibly leaving him. I let a loud growl rumble out of my chest, taking great satisfaction in watching him pale slightly before I sit back on my back legs again and begin to bat at his face lightly with my paws. The laughter that rumbles out of Kirsch as he tries to escape has me purring contently and I look over to see that Lennon and Spencer have the upperhand over Danny as well and are perched on top of the large wolf's back._

 _The smell of home fills my senses a second before I feel a warm hand sliding over my fur, I let out a small mewling noise and turn towards Laura, thoroughly enjoying the light scratching behind the ears that I'm receiving. From beneath me I hear a quiet snickering and without taking my attention from a now kneeling Laura, I raise a paw and place it down over Kirsch's face, the laughter ceases in favour of giant hands struggling to lift my paw enough to turn his head to the side._

 _Laura giggles a little at our antics and I notice that she has a plate of cookies balanced on her other hand. A moment later I shift back into my two legged body and lean over to kiss Laura on the cheek, one hand finds it's way to her waist as I move in to kiss her properly this time and the other sneaks a cookie from the plate._

 _Laura's body melts into mine and her hand moves up to tangle in my hair, she goes to pull away when Kirsch makes an exaggerated gagging sound but I simply shove the cookie where I assume his mouth is and pull Laura in again._

"It'll go away, just ignore it, Karnstein," I mutter to myself and try to bury my head beneath my pillow.

"Carm, wake up," Lennon must have given up on the relentless knocking on my door because I hear the door open and his voice sounds as though he's already at the foot of my bed.

"What time is it?" I grumble without opening my eyes. Lennon hesitates for a moment before he answers me so I can tell it's bad.

"9AM,"

"Get out." It's halfhearted as I point in the general direction of the door but Lennon just sighs and I can telling he's rolling his eyes at me. I've absolutely no idea where he might have picked up that habit.

"Carmmm,"

"What do you want, Short Stack?" I give up on the idea of sleep for a moment and sit up to face him, one eyes opened slightly and the other remaining firmly closed.

"Spencer and I are going over to JP's for breakfast, did you want me to get you anything?"

"You woke me up at this ungodly hour to ask me that?"

Lennon rolls his eyes again, "Carm,"

"Fine, chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon,"

"See, look at that. Nice things can happen to you when you cooperate," Lennon says and glare at him.

"Out,"

Lennon simply laughs at me as he leaves and I let out a sigh before settling my head back down onto the yellow pillow beneath it.

"Goddammit," I grumble after a few minutes, realising that I am now very much awake and the thought of JP's has made me hungry. Lennon and Spencer won't be back with my food for a least another hour so that just leaves a blood bag from the fridge. The fridge located all the way downstairs, so very far away from where I am now.

I'm just about ready starve to death rather than get out of bed right now but an idea strikes me and I dig around beneath my blanket to find my phone. After a minute of fruitless searching I grumble and rollover to the other side of the bed, looking over at the spot I was occupying and grabbing my phone.

"Of course it was underneath me,"

I almost want to just toss the phone in spite but my stomach grumbles so I grudgingly pick up the device. The phone lights and my thumb hovers over it for a moment, taking in the lock screen. Laura's smile beams back at me, matched equally by a toothy grin from Lennon, and I'm even sporting a small smile on my own face. The photo was from the last Halloween before Laura's accident but I can't help the smile as I take in the costumes worn in the photo. Lennon was bundled up in layers of fur to resemble an Ewok, Laura was dressed as Captain America, and I, not at all willingly was dressed as Blake Belladonna, complete with cat ears. While I didn't mind the mostly black, slightly revealing clothing, naturally, the Scooby Gang found my costume hilarious. Before the night was over I had to be put in a time out of sorts by the Mother Hen because apparently, "You can't steal candy from small children, Carmilla. That includes Kirsch as well, he collected it on his own and you can do the same."

Honestly the whole ordeal was ridiculous.

After finally unlocking my phone I scroll through my phone until I come across 'Zeta Omega Eww' and tap the screen, smiling slightly at the contact photo of Kirsch's Halloween costume, a full body suit of pads and tampons.

"Go for Bro,"

"Good God, you need a better greeting,"

"Don't hate, Little Vamp,"

"Ughh, don't make me regret calling you,"

"Why are you calling me? It's like 9AM, aren't you supposed to be nocturnal or something right now?"

"Don't remind me, Beefcake. Just toddle over here, I have a job for you,"

"Ooh, is it a super secret vampire mission? Cause you know I just got these awesome night vision goggles from D-Bear for my birthday," Kirsch replies excitedly and the eye roll that occurs happens entirely on its own.

"Yes, that's a wonderful idea. Wear your night vision goggles at 9 in the morning. No, just hurry up, this is important," I respond in a tone so dry that even Kirsch gets the point.

"Sure thing, bro, I'll be there in a minute,"

After a deep sigh I hang up and toss the phone down beside me.

After another five minutes of tossing and turning I hear knocking on the door, a knocking that continues until Kirsch realizes that I have no intention of getting up to answer the door. The amount of noise that one human can make would almost be amusing if I wasn't so hungry. As it is the loud shuffling of Kirsch making his way through the house, and the dull thud of Kirsch hitting his head on the low hanging beam he is very much familiar with. You'd think after the first few times he'd remember to duck. Tall people.

Kirsch finally makes it to the door and after knocking again I call out to him to enter.  
"Jesus, it took you long enough. I'm centuries old, I'm not going to get any younger,"  
"Sorry, Little Vamp. So what did you need?" Kirsch asks after plopping down on the bed as though the five minute trip was so taxing.  
"I'm hungry, I need you to go grab me a blood bag from the fridge," I respond not bothering to look up but gesturing towards the door.  
"Bro, seriously? You make me come all the way over here to get you something out of your own fridge?" Kirsch picks his head up to look at me before dropping it down again.  
"It's a 5 minute trip, Kirsch,"  
"It's a thirty second walk, Carmilla,"

We lock eyes in a standoff, both too lazy to move and both just proud enough to not give in.  
"I'm hungry, and it's 9AM. By nature I shouldn't even be conscious for at least another 6 hours," I argue and Kirsch just looks at me, unconvinced.  
"Oh please, you haven't had a regular vampire schedule since you started dating Little Nerd,"  
"That's beside the point, just get me the damn blood, Kirsch," I retort and Kirsch lets out a deep sigh and heaves himself up off the bed. A minute or two later he walks back through the door empty handed.

"Oh what the frilly hell is this? I told you to get me some blood,"  
"There's none in there," Kirsch responds with a shrug.  
"Ugh, I knew I was forgetting to do something yesterday," I groan and drop back down on the pillow.  
"I guess I'm not needed after all, huh?"  
"Not so fast, Titan. You can drive me to the blood bank," I sit back up and point my finger at him, stopping him from leaving.  
"Come on, dude, you have your own car. And a totally awesome bike too,"  
"Quit your whining, you are already here,"

"Fine," Kirsch grumbles and turns his back while I strip and rummage through my clothes pile for something reasonably clean.

A few minutes later and we are sitting in Kirsch's truck enroute for the blood bank.

"I still don't know why I had to drive you there, you are totally capable of doing it yourself," Kirsch complains for the nth time, eyes fixed on the road.

"Because I'm lazy, and I find it unnecessary to exert myself when I don't need to," I remind him without looking away from an inspection of my nails.

"Hah! I've got it," Kirsch suddenly cries and I jump at the unexpected noise, dislodging my boot from where it was resting on the dash.

"You've got what, you human foghorn?"

"You're lonely, aren't you? That's why you made me come over. Lennon and Spencer aren't home, Will's probably sleeping, LaF and Perry are at a couple's retreat, and Danny's at work. That just leaves me," Kirsch is all but bouncing in his seat.

"Please, the more time I can spend away from the rest of you, the better,"

It hits me at that moment that Kirsch might actually be right, but that doesn't mean I'm going to agree with him.

"That's totally it, Miss Badass Vampire misses her friends," Kirsch leans over to playfully shove my shoulder.

"Shut up, Kirsch," I grumble and shrink into my seat, a pout that could have rivalled one of Laura's settling on my face. The giant does as he's instructed and remains silent but he also has a dopey grin plastered on his face for the rest of the trip.

The blood bank has always had a peculiar smell to it, a mix of sterile, chocolate chip cookies, and citrus. As we make our way in a familiar blonde greets us over the counter top.

"Hey, Karnstein. I was wondering when you were going to come in to stock up, I was expecting you yesterday actually,"

"Hey, Betty, I don't even know what happened, it completely slipped my mind yesterday. Groot over here had to remind me," I respond and point towards an oblivious Kirsch studying one of the posters on the wall.

"Your usual order is out back, I'll go grab it," Betty says, already walking through the door to the back room.

Upon returning with my new blood supply I thank her and head back out towards the car.

"Since we are hanging out, wanna go grab some icecream? Or are you not lonely enough for that?" Kirsch asks and let's out a grunt when I sock him on the arm. After rubbing his arm for a moment he looks at me expectantly before I finally cave.

"Fine, yes I would like some icecream,"

"Sweet, you're buying,"

"Whatever,"

" _Carm, how long is Momma gonna be gone?"_

" _Momma's gonna be gone for a long time, bud,"_

 _The words don't seem to want to come out and that god awful lump in my throat hasn't vacated since we left the hospital._

" _I know, you told me that she had to go to heaven but I need her to come back," Lennon insists and I feel tears pricking at my eyes again._

" _I need her to come back too, but sometimes people don't get to come back. Sometimes people aren't that lucky,"_

 _Lennon's brow furrows as he continues, "But my giraffe was in Momma's car. I need her to bring it back,"_

 _The pieces fall into place in my head, and I stops whatever I was about to say. Lennon's giraffe was in Laura's car, the car that was totalled and bent out of shape beyond belief. The wall holding everything back collapses in my head and I reach out to pull the small boy into a hug that he immediately reciprocates._

" _Are you crying, Carm?" Lennon murmurs into my shoulder._

" _Yeah,"_

" _Why are you crying?"_

" _Cause I'm gonna miss Momma," I respond and Lennon nods slightly._

" _I'm gonna miss her too,"_

" _I love you, bud. You know that right?"_

 _Lennon nods again, "I know, Carm. I love you too,"_

"I can't find it, Carm. I can't find it anywhere," Lennon was becoming more and more agitated as he padded around the room.

"You'll find it, just check where you had it last,"

"There is no where to check, it's literally always around my neck, you know that. I only ever take it off to shower," Lennon responds from behind the kitchen counter.

"Did you check in the bathroom?" I ask, still sprawled on the couch as I watch him search.

"Yes, I looked in the bathroom. That's the first place I checked when I noticed it was missing,"

Lennon continues to pace and starts to tug at the leather cuff around his wrist. Without another word I stand up and start to scan the room. Lennon only ever plays with that thing when he gets upset, he has since the day I gave it to him. For him to be messing with it that much, the kid has to be getting pretty bad.

"What if I can't find it, Carm? You know how much it meant to Mom," Lennon slumps against the wall and pushes a hand through his hair, another habit he picked up from me I suppose.

"Just breathe, kid. We'll find it,"

A minute or two later I catch sight of the familiar golden chain and walk over to it, "Okay, how in the hell did it even get here?"

Bending down to pick up the chain from behind the TV I turn and present it to Lennon.

"Oh Holy Hufflepuff, thank you," Lennon exclaims and quickly fastens the chain behind his neck, the small magnifying glass coming to rest against his chest.

"Try to hold onto it this time, bud," I say, reaching up to pat him on the chest on the way past.

" _Miss Karnstein, I'm sorry to have to call you in like this but I'm afraid that Lennon has been involved in a conflict of sorts," the headmistress sits behind her desk with her hands pressed together._

" _Did he hit someone?" I ask, thoroughly annoyed at having to come into school at 10AM on a day that Lennon isn't even meant to be at school._

" _Well, no,"_

" _Did he set something of fire?"_

" _No,"_

" _Did he swear at someone?"_

" _No,"_

" _Then why the hell am I sitting here, and why is Lennon not at the zoo?" My tone is getting progressively more hostile and the woman in front of me is becoming more and more anxious._

" _Lennon refused to cooperate with his teachers and tried to run away from the group,"_

" _You've got to be shitting me,"_

 _The headmistress gives me a disapproving look before responding, "Miss Karnstein, I would appreciate it if you would watch your language,"_

" _Why is Lennon in trouble?"_

' _The students were going around to the different exhibits, and from what the teachers have told me Lennon refused to go near one of the exhibits. He argued with the teachers and tour guide, and despite being given a direct instruction chose to ignore it and tried to walk away from the group,"_

" _What exhibit was it?"_

" _I don't think that is the most pressing matter at the moment, Miss Karnstein,"_

" _What exhibit was it?" This time I am firmer in my question and the headmistress purses her lips for a moment._

" _The Giraffe exhibit,"_

 _Understanding floods through me and I look at the woman again, "Lennon doesn't like giraffes,"_

" _Regardless of his likes or dislikes, Lennon refused to follow direct instructions,"_

" _Regardless of the superiority complex you all clearly have, Lennon is 12 years old and he should be allowed to object to something he doesn't feel comfortable with,"_

" _Miss Karnstein, I don't think you quite understand the severity of the situation,"_

" _And I don't think you quite understand how much I don't give a shit about the 'severity of the situation'. I'm not going to sit here and let my kid get punished for speaking up for himself and making his own decisions,"_

" _Miss Karnstein," the woman's voice is really starting to grate on my nerves._

" _I'm not finished," I growl and she shrinks under my gaze, "I'm going to take Lennon out for ice-cream now, and when he returns to school on Monday he isn't going to hear a word about what happened. If I have to be called in again because Lennon is expressing his own discomfort over a situation, then things are going to become a lot more severe for you. Am I clear?"_

 _The headmistress nods her head quickly, eyes wide with fear. With that I get up and saunter out of the room, stopping to wait for Lennon to grab his bag and follow after me. I have no doubt he had heard everything that had just been said as we head out the door together without a word._

You'd think after almost four centuries of existing I'd have learnt to control a nervous fidget, but given my current twitchiness, I clearly haven't.

It's only been a few minutes, Lennon and Spencer have only been gone for a few minute but there is this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Vampire's intuition, or parent's intuition, I don't have a clue. All I know is that something is very much not okay.

Driving shouldn't be a problem for either of them, Lennon seems to embody Miss Daisy whenever he is behind the wheel and even the little wolf has enough sense to know not to mess with someone that is driving. So why do I feel so goddamn uncomfortable right now?

They are just going to Lawrence's place, it's barely even considered driving distance, hell, a good whistle can be heard from that far.

My own worry gets the best of me and I grab my phone from the counter and bring up a number.

"What's up, Fangface?" Danny asks upon answering the phone.

"Did the little terrors make it to your place okay? I don't know what it is but I've got a bad feeling,"

"No, they aren't here yet. How long have they been gone?" Danny loses the teasing tone in her voice and swaps it for one of concern.

"Just a few minutes, I'm sure everything is fine,"

I'm cut off by a distant sound that catches my attention. There's a squeal of tyres, and twisting of metal that sounds all too familiar to be real.

"Danny,"

"I heard it too," Danny responds in a shaky voice.

"You don't think-"

This time I'm cut off by a far eerier sound as a long panicked howl splits the air. The phone beeps as the call disconnects but I'm already a blur of motion as I race out of the door.

" _Lennon, bud. I need you to be tough for me, can you do that?" I look Lennon in the eye and though I can tell he is confused he nods sharply all the same._

" _Is Momma gonna be okay, Carm? The doctors can fix her right?"_

" _Not this time, bud. Momma has to go away for awhile, we need to say goodbye to her."_

" _But the doctors are supposed to help people, right? Why can't they help Momma too?"_

" _Sometimes the doctors just can't quite fix people, sometimes people just have to go away for awhile,"_

" _Is Momma gonna be gone for a long time? A really long time, not just when she has to go out somewhere?"_

" _Yeah, she's gonna be gone for a really long time,"_

" _We should probably go say goodbye now, huh?"_

 _Instead of responding I stand up and scoop him up into my arms, pushing open the door to Laura's room._

" _Hey there, Len," Laura lights up at the sight of us, and I try to ignore the way her voice shakes and each rise and fall of her chest looks pained._

" _Hey Momma," Lennon reaches out for Laura so I place him down on her bed gently and watch for any discomfort on her face._

" _Carm told me that you have to go away, she said that we have to say goodbye,"_

 _Laura swallows hard at his words and reaches out to pull him into her arms, grimacing slightly as he settles down with his head on her shoulder._

" _Carm's right, I'm not going to be able to see you guys for awhile,"_

" _I don't want you to go anywhere, Momma,"_

 _Laura breathes out a soft laugh, before pulling him tighter into her arms._

" _I don't want to go anywhere either, Len. Leaving the two of you is going to be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do, but I do have to do it,"_

" _I'm gonna miss you, Momma,"_

" _I'm gonna miss you too, Len. I'm gonna miss you both so much," Laura's voice breaks completely and she buries her head into Lennon's hair, placing soft kisses as the tears welling in her eyes begin to spill over._

" _I love you, Lennon. Okay? I want you to remember that. You are one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and if I had the choice I wouldn't ever let you go."_

" _I love you too, Momma."_

 _Silence begins to fill the room once again, broken only by Laura's quiet sobs, and the beating of the two hearts that belong to the tiny humans that have stolen mine. After a few more minutes of swallowing down the lump in my throat there is a knock on the door. I make no move to open it but the door slowly opens and Perry enters the room with a solemn expression._

" _I just thought that I might take Lennon to get some hot chocolate, so that the two of you can say your goodbyes," Perry says quietly and looks over at the two on the bed before swallowing hard and pasting an empty smile on her face._

" _Do you wanna go and get some hot chocolate with Aunt Perry?" Laura asks and Lennon gives her a slow nod._

" _I'll see you again soon, okay Len? I love you,"_

" _I'll see you soon, Momma,"_

 _Laura herself nods slightly this time and presses one last kiss to Lennon's forehead before she helps him off of the bed and watches as Perry gives her one last tearful glance before taking Lennon's hand and leaving the room._

" _I guess it's just me and you again, huh Cupcake?" My voice is barely a whisper as the lump works it's way closer to choking me._

" _Carm,"_

 _All it takes is a single word and I'm drawn to her, after everything she still has such a hold over me. Without a word I lay down beside her, though instead of being tucked beneath her arm like Lennon was Laura lifts her head so I can place my arm down behind her. Laura turns slightly and settles into my side. Neither of us say anything else for a moment, and I can tell that the both of us are just trying to take in the moment. Trying to commit everything to memory, knowing full well that this could be our last moment together._

" _So this is it, after everything this is how it ends," I murmur as Laura toys with the bottom of my hair._

" _I guess so, the end of our story kinda sucks huh? Maybe we would have been better off if I never beat up that brodude at Kirsch's party, I'm sure the story would have been much better if you'd met someone else. You wouldn't be sitting in a hospital bed right now," Laura responds quietly and looks up at me._

" _The ending definitely has room for improvement but don't think for a single second that I would choose to have done anything differently, Laura. You have no idea just how much you have changed my life, do you? I was in such a dark place for centuries, the last few years have been the brightest I've ever had. Meeting you, falling in love, that is not something I would ever wish to change. Even if this is how it ends, knowing you has changed my life so infinitely that I can't even imagine not knowing you. I love you, Laura, and no matter how many years I will continue to walk this earth, I will love you,"_

 _Tears well in my eyes again but the sheer conviction of my statement keeps them at bay._

" _I love you too, Carmilla. I know I won't have countless years to keep loving you, but it doesn't matter. I know that I love you right down to my very core, and there is nothing that will change that; you've changed my life too, Carm. In more ways than I can even fathom,"_

 _There are hundreds of thoughts swirling around in my mind but all I want to do is just kiss the woman I love and quiet my mind for just a moment, so I do._

The air is filled with the scents that had tormented me after Laura's accident, and the blood and burnt rubber begins to clog my senses all over again. After coming to a stop I take in the sight of the two mangled cars and hidden partially behind the mangled body of Lennon's jeep I catch sight of red hair.

"Spencer," At the mention of her name the girl looks up at me with panic stricken eyes. A quick scan of her body shows an alarming amount of blood but from the scent alone I can tell it isn't hers.

"I'm so sorry, Carmilla. We didn't even see the car coming. I tried to get Lennon out but he's stuck in the car, and there's so much blood,"

I turn and inspect the car, moving over to the caved in driver side. Lennon is pinned by the door but I can't tell how badly he is hurt. I can just smell the blood, and I can already tell that there is too much.

"Shit, okay Spencer I need to you listen to me. Everything is going to be fine, but I need you to go and check on the driver of the other car," I tear my eyes away from Lennon to address the girl but she just nods quickly and rushes over to the other car.

I take a deep breath and struggle not to flash back to the last time this happened. Shaking my head to chase the thoughts away I reach through the gap where the window should be and reach out to Lennon.

"Lennon, hey, I need you to open your eyes," After receiving no response I focus my hearing until I find a weak pulse, and a sickly wheezing.

"Shit," I mutter to myself before bracing my hands on the car door and tearing it off the car with a smooth tug. I toss it behind me and move in again for another look only to find that Lennon's arm is now hanging limply and his chest is visibly caved in.

"Lennon, hey, wake up," the gentle approach is gone now and I slap him on the side of the face, finally getting a response.

"Carm?" Lennon's voice is weak and his skin has taken on an ashy tone but he's conscious.

"Yeah, I'm here bud, I'm gonna get you out of here okay?" From behind me I can hear Danny and Kirsch talking to Spencer but I stay focused on Lennon's small nod. Reaching around to his other side I rip the seatbelt out of its holder and with as little movement as possible I scoop him up into my arms and lift his out of the seat.

Once I'm clear of the wreck I place Lennon down on the ground before tearing through the thin fabric of his t-shirt to get a better look at his wounds.

"Hey, I liked that shirt," comes a feeble protest and a small smile.

"I'll buy you another one," I reply and take in the sight in front of me. As I had thought, the left side of his chest was caved in and I can see the white of bone poking through in a few places. His chest is a mess of blood and angry purple bruising, I'm honestly amazed that he is even speaking let alone cracking jokes.

"Okay, this is probably going to do more harm than good but I need you to take a deep breath for me,"

Lennon nods again and begins to inhale slowly, he only makes it about halfway before the wheezing breath gives way to a wet, wracking cough as Lennon leans over on his right arm. Blood now coats his chin but Lennon lays back down and looks up at me with a lopsided smile, "Maybe deep breaths aren't such a good idea, huh?"

"No more deep breaths, bud."

"You know how we are always saying that you'll be with me to the end, right? I think this might be the end, Carm,"

"Don't say that, you are going to be fine, okay?" The lie tastes bitter on my tongue and when Lennon's head rolls back a new wave of panic rushes through me.

"Hey, hey, hey, Lennon. Stay with me, okay. Don't do this to me,"

The boy in my arms doesn't respond and my heart threatens to shut down on me again, panic taking hold of my very being.

"No, no, no. Not again, not you too,"

"Shit, Lennon," Danny appears at my side but I barely notice.

"I'm going to turn him,"

"Are you sure that's what he wants? Laura didn't," Danny starts but stops when I lift Lennon up again and settle on my knees positioning myself.

"I don't care, he's dying, Danny. I lost Laura, I can't lose him too. If I do this and he decides to hate me for the next century then so be it. He can hate me, as long as he is still around to do it,"

"I'm sorry, Lennon," I murmur and sink my fangs into his neck.

/

It turns out that opening my eyes is a terrible idea, and the second I do a bright light burns my eyes and starts a throbbing in my head from the sheer intensity of it. A pained cry leaves me and I turn onto my stomach, shielding my eyes from the light.

"Lennon, hey. It's okay, you're alright," A voice says, ringing so loud in my ears that it sends another wave of pain pulsing through my head. I let out another groan and I hear someone cursing, though it is thankfully quieter this time.

"Lennon, I know it hurts right now, but I need you to look at me, okay, bud?" The voice holds an urgency that makes me roll onto my back again and open my eyes once more.

The light has lessened enough that I can keep them open after blinking a few times and I can finally focus on the source of the voice. Carmilla is knelt down beside me, worrying her lip between her teeth and watching me with concerned eyes. She breathes out a sigh of relief when she sees that I'm more or less okay, but her hands reach out to steady me when I try to sit up and find that everything moves too fast. My head spins and I grab onto her arm offering her a squeeze of reassurance. Out of nowhere a loud crack sounds and Carmilla hisses in pain, jerking her arm away to cradle it near her stomach. I pull my hand back in an instant and look down at it in confusion.

"Carm, are you okay?" I ask and try to reach out for her again but stop when I notice an almost imperceptible flinch.

"Yeah, I'm okay, bud. Just ease up on the contact for a moment, okay? Things are a little different now," Carmilla forces out through gritted teeth.

My head has cleared enough and I take in my surroundings for the first time since waking up. The carnage around me brings back the memories of what happened and I immediately jump to my feet and begin to look around frantically for Spencer. I spot her a few seconds later, standing next to her mother and rush towards her without a second thought. Spencer's eyes widen at my sudden presence just as I notice how quickly I managed to close the distance.

"Lennon, I think you should maybe take a step back for bit, okay?" Danny tells me gently but I barely acknowledge her as I scan Spencer for an injuries, finding only a small gash along her left cheekbone.

"You're bleeding, are you okay?" I ask and reach out to take a step forward again, driven to help her but there's something else as well. Something that is drawing my attention more to her blood has had dripped down towards her jaw than to the injury itself. My throat suddenly feels drier than I'd ever felt it before and a sharp pain forms in my gums, almost like a toothache, before it feels like my gums are splitting.

"Lennon," Spencer's voice shakes and I can feel the fear and uneasiness rolling off her in waves.

Before I can do anything Danny steps in between the two of us, eyes glowing, and lets out a deep growl of warning. The display startles me and I want to step back but my body reacts of it's own accord, unleashing a growl in return and pressing forward. Danny's eyes widen at the sight and she falters for a second before she raises her shoulders higher and bares enlarged canines.

My body kicks into attack mode and as I feel a strong hand latch onto my forearm I turn around to face Carmilla with my teeth bared and another growl ripping up out of my throat. At my response Carmilla's fangs appear but she stops for a moment before pulling her arm back up from mine and with a smooth movement, slapping me on the back of the head.

"Don't you dare flash your fangs at me," Carmilla pokes a finger at my chest and the sheer surprise snaps me out of whatever trance I was in. After a second I actually process her words and reach up to run my hand along my mouth, stopping at the prominent points that I'm pretty sure weren't there this morning.

"Now, if you are done acting like a jackass, you should apologize before Lawrence wolfs out completely and tears you a new one," Carmilla points behind me this time and I duck my head in guilt, taking notice that my fangs have disappeared once again. I turn slowly back around and look to Danny with apologetic eyes and I notice that she huffs in annoyance before withdrawing her canines and returning her eyes to their usual non threatening colour.

"Holy Crap, I'm so sorry. I don't even know where that came from, well actually I have my suspicions but still. Suspected vampirism is not an excuse and I'm just really sorry, please don't be mad at me, Aunt Dan Dan," the words come tumbling out and Danny shakes her head slightly by the end of it before pulling me into a side hug.

"It's okay, kid. You're forgiven,"

"Softie," Carmilla mutters and Danny lets a small growl rumble out but smiles all the same.

"So, I'm a vampire now?"

"Yes,"

"You turned me, instead of letting me die?"

"Yes, look Lennon. I need you to understand that it's completely fine if you hate me. What I did was selfish, and stupid, and I didn't even take into account how you would feel about it. You were dying, and I just couldn't sit there and watch. I lost Laura, I couldn't lose you too," the words rush out of Carmilla and I'm not sure how to react for a moment.

"Hey, Carm. Slow down, alright? I don't hate you, how could you even think that I would?" I ask and watch at her eyes soften.

"I've been a vampire for a long time, Lennon, and it's not something I would wish on another. It wasn't right to force that on you, especially just because I couldn't handle losing the only other person I've loved in over a century ,"

"You saved my life, Carm. Sure, maybe the whole vampire thing is going to take some getting used to, but it's hardly the worst thing that could happen. I'll probably be carded at bars for the rest of my life, but at Ieast now I have as long as I want to get into the college I want," I reason and Carmilla begins to relax but she still looks worried. Without a word I reach out and pull her into a hug, taking extra care with the amount of force I'm using. After a moment Carmilla melts into the embrace and let's out a breath against my neck.

"I used to think that a Laura was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but she wasn't. You are, Lennon, and I just couldn't lose both of you. God, I've been preparing myself for you to hate me. I should have known you better than that, hell, I raised you for the last decade after all,"

"Besides, I have super cool vampire powers now, right?" I continue after releasing her from the hug.

"It might take some time, but yes. And don't think I'm forgetting about that bar comment. You can wait until you are 21 and then we'll see how getting carded goes," Carmilla points a finger at me, taking on a serious tone.

"Carm, I'm immortal now, why does it matter?" I whine and she raises a brow at me.

"It matters because Perry will try and bathe me in holy water if I let my 16 year old son turn into a little alcoholic just because he is immortal now," Carmilla points out and I grimace a little that the thought.

"Or she'd lace your brownies in garlic," I add and she wrinkles up her nose.

"Hey, Carm? Until the end, yeah?"

"Yeah, bud, until the end,"

"How about now? I really felt something that time,"

"If you are using your words, it didn't work," Carmilla points out and I huff in frustration.

"You are totally just messing with me, aren't you? I'm meant to be doing something completely different to turn into my animal form,"

"Just focus, channel the animal inside of you. It should be dying to come out, you've been a vampire for two months now," Carmilla rolls her eyes but repeats the information she had told me earlier.

"Right, okay. Focus, channel the animal," I mutter quietly and scrunch up my nose in concentration.

"Personally I'm hoping for a cute little bunny, imagine the Christmas card we could have next year," Carmilla pipes up and I shoot her a glare.

"Maybe a badger, Laura was always saying you were a Hufflepuff after all," Carmilla continues with a grin and I use my newly acquired speed to jump at her. Carmilla dodges easily and I slide to a stop in the space she was just occupying.

"You suck," I grumble and she pokes her tongue out me.

"So do you, bud,"

"I don't know why this is so difficult, everything else was easy. The speed, the strength, they came naturally, the pyrokinesis was more of an accident that Laf enjoyed way too much, and I only teleported onto a roller coaster track that one time. To be fair though, that wasn't really my fault. You did tell me to picture a place and imagine myself there,"

Carmilla just rolls her eyes and tries for a different approach,"Alright, scratch that. Picture something that makes you happy, something that makes you feel free,"

With a sigh I close my eyes and focus for the nth time in the last hour. My thoughts fill with icecream, Mom's smile when Carm and I surprised her for her birthday, all of the family picnics and gatherings with the gang. The thoughts bring a smile to my face but nothing changes, I try again and this time I picture red hair, a diabolical smile, a brown wolf. Out of nowhere I'm hit with a feeling of release, like I'm breathing for the first time and my centre of gravity shifts. Rather than looking down on Carmilla like usual I'm looking up at her from below, taking in the amused smirk on her face.

"I guess you were more of a Gryffindor after all," Carmilla says before fishing out her phone and snapping a picture. After a moment Carmilla turns the phone toward me to reveal an image of a lanky, golden lion with small tufts of fur sticking out here and there around its neck to form a scruffy mane. After studying the image of my animal form I sit back on my hind legs and lift a paw to examine it. Carmilla watches me as I do with a small smile on her face.

A thought crosses my mind and if a lion can smile I'm pretty sure it's happening right now. Before Carmilla can react I lean up with a paw and give her a shove, knocking her slightly off balance before she rights herself again.

"Hey, watch it, Simba," Carmilla warns, fighting back a smile. With a little more force this time I lean up and push her again, and Carmilla growls, "That's it."

A moment later and the small girl is replaced by an angry looking panther that wastes no time before pouncing at me. I'm going to get my ass handed to me but rolling around in a field with a giant black cat is definitely going into the happy memories.

"Ow, ow, biting, biting," Kirsch cries as the panther continues to gnaw lightly on his arm. With her jaw locked tight around Kirsch's arm as she plays Tug of War, Carmilla is giving him very little leeway in the matter.

"Aw babe, you never have a problem when it's me doing the biting," Danny says from behind Kirsch, and as Carmilla frees his arm Kirsch is taken down by a large russet wolf in the next instant. As I'm watching the scene unfold before me my tail flicks behind me contently and I don't notice the danger until the last second. Before I can react I'm taken down by a brown wolf, sending the both of us tumbling to the grass. I'm pinned down on my back after a few seconds but rather than struggle to escape I simply reach up with my paws to bat at the wolf's muzzle. Spencer pulls back her head slightly and lets out a noise that is a mix between annoyance and bewilderment. In doing so I have enough space to shift back into my two legged form and duck under the space below her belly before springing up and wrapping my arms around the wolf. I lift Spencer up with ease and she lets out a yelp of surprise before trying to wiggle out of my grasp. Her attempts are fruitless and she lets out a few frustrated yips before giving up and shifting back into her human form, leaving her clinging onto me, bridal style and breathless. After a moment I lower her legs down to the ground but keep my hands on her waist, hyper aware of our proximity. The mass of fur and human fighting nearby fades away into the background and I start to fall into the blazing blue eyes that are locked onto mine. The gap between the two of us grows even smaller when I tilt my head until our foreheads are touching and the only sounds that I can hear are our frantic breaths and the racing heartbeat of the girl in my arms.

"The food is ready everyone," Perry's voice shatters the silence and we both pull away slowly and turn to look over at the array of food Perry has prepared. Spencer starts to walk over first and as I'm about to follow her I notice Carmilla has shifted back to her leather wearing self and is standing at my side.

"She was the thing you were thinking of when you first shifted, wasn't she?" Carmilla asks and my gaze doesn't leave Spencer's retreating form.

"Yeah, she was,"

"Well, I'm happy for you, kid. Just please, for the love of God, use protection. I don't need little hybrid puppies running around, the gingers are bad enough,"

Before I can respond Danny calls out to us, "Hey Fangface, you are aware that some of us have enhanced hearing, right? And the ones that don't can hear you anyway, with how loud you are speaking,"

"I live to serve the people," Carmilla replies with an exaggerated bow, as Danny shakes her head but smiles all the same.

Over the years I've always wondered when 'the end' would be with Carmilla, but looking at the ragtag group gathered in front of me, I'm starting to think that this ending isn't too bad.


End file.
